Members of the Kuoy indigenous group from three communities (Prame, Sre Preang and Bos Thom) in Preah Vihear organized a press conference at the NGO Forum on Cambodia’s office in Phnom Penh last 23 July. Representing 367 families, their demands were the cancellation of the Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) and the expedition of the process of securing their communal land titles.

The Kuoy, who are in the middle of a land dispute case, followed up on the letter issued by the Ministry of Interior on 27 February 2014, which ordered provincial authorities to properly and fairly resolve the land conflict and accelerate the issuance of communal land titles. They also followed up on their provincial representative’s promise to intervene in their case.

At the conference, they shared that as soon as they received the ELC from the government in 2011, the two companies – Lan Feng (receiving 9,015 ha) and Rui Feng (receiving 8,841 ha) had begun to cut the trees in the forest belonging to the villagers, despite not having the proper Environmental Impact Assessment. The inhabitants received letters from the court regarding their advocacy activities to press government for acceptable solutions. However, instead of coming to their assistance, the local authorities and military arrested community members who fought to defend their land rights.

The ELC companies have been able to destroy the forests, unfortunately without any response from the local authorities. According to the Royal Gazette, up to 2014, the Royal Government of Cambodia has given about 227,000 ha in ELC to 34 companies to invest in agro-industrial development in Preah Vihear.

NGO Forum Executive Director Tek Vannara has emphasized that the groups need justice. They need the government to recognize the problem and act swiftly to resolve the conflict.

Indigenous communities in Cambodia have been vocal in urging government, NGO, intergovernmental organizations, and donors to accelerate the distribution of collective land titles. Only 8 indigenous communities have so far managed to secure their land titles, even if the country’s Land Law of 2001 recognizes indigenous communities’ customary land rights. In fact, just last April, NGO Forum on Cambodia, together with the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), and 12 NGO members and partners, organized the National Reflection Workshop on Indigenous People: Identification, Legal Entity, and Communal Land Registration in Cambodia. No less than the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Flavia Pansieri, declared: “…What is happening is that land concessions are receiving priority before communal land titling” (Phnom Penh Post, 30 April 2014).

Click here for NGO Forum on Cambodia’s original article. This is also another related article: Indigenous communities urged to accelerate communal land registration. For more information, please contact Mr. Tek Vannara vannara@ngoforum.org.kh.